Fiction set in Hawaii

Blue Skin of the Sea, by Graham Salisbury
Takes place on Hawaii between 1953 and 1966, strings together a collection of short stories to form a rare and exquisite narrative necklace. At its center sits Sonny Mendoza, descendant of Portuguese fishermen living in the tiny village of Kailua-Kona. As the book begins, he lives with his aunt, uncle and cousin Keo, since his widowed father is too busy to look after a young son. The unifying thread running through Sonny's youth is his inexplicable fear of the sea, which is finally resolved when he confronts a buried memory of near-drowning.

East Wind, Rain, by Caroline Paul
In the wake of Pearl Harbor, an isolated Hawaiian community realizes new fears and questions old loyalties in this novel based on actual events. A lone Japanese fighter plane plummets into the secluded island of Niihau, owned by white American Alymer Robinson, on December 7, 1941. Since the villagers don't have radios and haven't heard of the bombing (or even the war), they don't know what to make of the Japanese pilot. The village elder decides they should simply wait for Robinson, the island's owner, to arrive. When he doesn't show, Robinson's beekeeper, Yoshio Harada, and Harada's wife, Irene, both Japanese-Americans, are the only islanders who can understand the pilot's account of the Pearl Harbor attack.As the young couple wrestles with a sense of U.S. patriotism that has been wounded by past encounters with prejudice, suspicions overwhelm a once peaceful community.

Hawaii, by James Michener
Starts at the very beginning with the creation of the islands (geologically speaking) to the arrival of humans and later Western civilization. My favorite part of the book is the first chapter with the description of land rising out of the ocean and the "arrival" of the flora and fauna. See the Movies page for the two movies based on the book.

Hawaii One Summer, by Maxine Hong Kingston
This is an interesting collection of personal essays that Kingston wrote one summer when she was teaching at the University of Hawaii at Manoa.

Molokai, by Alan Brennert
This moving historical novel tells the story of a woman exiled to Kalaupapa (a peninsula on Molokai where Hansen's patients were exiled before there was a cure) after she is diagnosed with Hansen's Disease (leperosy) in the 1890s. I have recommended this novel to all my friends and family to read prior to their visit to Hawaii, and all have loved it. But one word of advice - don't save it for the plane -it is a tear-jerker! You must read this novel if you plan to visit Kalaupapa on your trip out here. It really will deepen your experience.

Name Me Nobody, by Lois-Ann Yamanaka
Yamanaka is one of Hawaii's premier novelists. All of her books are good, but this one is my favorite. It's a young adult novel about a girl, abandoned by her mother and being raised by her grandmother, who is mercilessly teased at school. It's a poignant coming-of-age story with a very local Hawaii setting.

Shark Dialogues, by Kiana Davenport
This is one of my favorite Hawaii novels. This multigenerational saga details the history of Hawaii through the experiences of one family. It begins in the 19th century with the dramatic meeting of a young Yankee sailor and a beautiful Tahitian princess. Their descendants, who live in contemporary Hawaii, are four mixed race cousins named Vanya, Ming, Rachel, and Jess who have been brought up by Pono, a kahuna, or seer, who has never talked about her mysterious past to her four granddaughters.

Song of Exile, by Kiana Davenport.
This is one of my favorite Hawaiian authors. Kiana Davenport grew up in Honolulu and writes about many of the areas you may recognize as you read this book. Continuing to explore the history of her native Hawaii, the author of Shark Dialogues traces the saga of a Hawaiian jazz musician and a Korean-Hawaiian beauty who narrowly survive the punishments of World War II. I actually read this one first and then found the her other novels! Alice Witkowski

Book Recommendation Lists

Hawaii Public Library Hawaiian for Children - Two levels of lists - for younger and older children.

Book Reviewers

HoloHolo Review - An online review of Hawaii-Pacific materials both fiction and non-fiction maintained by the ALA student chapter and the University of Hawaii at Manoa LIS program. It includes signed reviews of not only books but also websites, videos and recordings. Includes a brief description of each book.